A REVIEW: EXTRACTION OF VALUABLE PHYTOCONSTITUENTS USING COLD-MACERATION METHOD WITH DIFFERENT POLAR AND NONPOLAR SOLVENTS FOR THEIR PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

The extraction of phytocompounds from medicinal plants is an important step in the production of plant-based medications. Cold maceration remains one of the most popular extraction processes due to its easy of use, low cost and ability to maintain thermolabile bioactive chemicals. This paper investigates the efficacy of the cold maceration method for extracting pharmacologically active phytochemicals utilising various solvents, including polar and non-polar solvents. The choice of solvent has a major impact on the yield, content and biological activity of the extracted phytoconstituent. Polar solvents like methanol, hydro-ethanol are useful in extracting phenolics, flavonoids, glycosides and tannins, but non-polar solvents like n-hexane and petroleum ether are more ideal for alkaloids, terpenoids and lipophilic compounds. This review also emphasises the importance of solvent polarity, maceration 0period, plant material-to-solvent ratio and ambient temperature in optimising the extraction process. Comparative pharmacological investigations reveal that cold maceration extracts exhibit a diverse range of biological activities, including antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic effects.